Creative Arts Emmy Awards: 'Making a Murderer,' 'Grease Live,' 'Archer,' 'Shark Tank' Take Top Awards

By Cynthia Littleton
Reuters

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) - Netflix's "Making a Murderer," Fox's "Grease Live," FXX's "Archer" and ABC's "Shark Tank" were among the top winners Sunday as the second half of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards were handed out at the Microsoft Theater.

HBO's "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" and CBS' "The Late Late Show with James Corden" picked up wins in variety categories. RuPaul Charles was a surprise victor in the reality host category for Logo's "RuPaul's Drag Race," which also meant that Ryan Seacrest ended his 15-year run on "American Idol" with seven nominations in the category but no wins.

"Archer" took its first gold for animated series. "Shark Tank" was recognized for structured reality program for the third year in a row.

Sunday's ceremony marked the second half of this year's Creative Arts Emmy Awards presentation, which was split up over two nights in order to keep the show from running four hours or more.

"Making a Murderer" and "Grease Live" led the field of winners on Sunday with four statuettes apiece. A&E documentary "Cartel Land" landed three trophies. Adult Swim's "Children's Hospital" wrapped its final season on a high note with two wins for short form comedy or drama series and for star Rob Corddry.

"Murderer" collected victories early on in the ceremony: documentary or nonfiction series and writing, directing and editing for a nonfiction program. "Murderer" filmmakers Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos thanked the families of those involved in the case detailed in the 10-hour series.

"Grease Live" grabbed the special class program award as well as lighting, production design and technical direction honors. Producer Marc Platt saluted "the power of network television" for its ability to connect audiences around the country and the world to the live staging of the classic musical.

NBC's "The Wiz Live" was recognized for costumes for variety, nonfiction or reality programming, making it a big year for costume designer Paul Tazewell who won the Tony in June for his work on "Hamilton."

Netflix's "What Happened, Miss Simone?" the Nina Simone biopic that was up for Oscar honors earlier this year, prevailed for documentary or nonfiction special. Director Liz Garbus noted backstage that the singer's daughter, Lisa Simone Kelly, once told her mother "I have your back" when it comes to how history would remember her. "She felt like she kept her promise" with the documentary, Garbus said.

"Late Late Show with James Corden" added to its haul from Saturday with the win for variety special for its "Carpool Karaoke Primetime Special," which marked the show's one-year anniversary. Exec producer Ben Winston said when the show launched in March 2015 he didn't think they'd be on the air after a year let alone collecting Emmys. He and Corden, both Brits, took a flier in moving to America.

"It would have been arrogant for us to assume that (the show) would work," Winston said backstage, adding that he is proud to have "unleashed the most talented man I've ever met on America."

The emotional high point of the ceremony came toward the end of the night when the A&E series "Born This Way" won for unstructured reality program. The show follows the lives of seven young adults with Down syndrome. As cast members excitedly crowded around exec producer Jonathan Murray and other producers, the crowd at the Microsoft Theater gave them a standing ovation.

"Born This Way" was designed from the start to demonstrate "that people with disabilities have the same hopes and dreams as everyone else," Murray said.

09/12/2016 9:37